The representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Jordan, Nabil Assaf, confirmed that the current situations in the region, such as the war on the Gaza Strip and the resulting tensions in the Red Sea, as well as the conditions in the Black Sea, have negatively affected food prices and quantities in the region, pointing out that there are attempts to mitigate these effects on the countries of the region.

Assaf said in a special statement to the Director of the Middle East News Agency Office in Amman on the sidelines of the “Safe Environment and Sustainable Development” forum organized by the Jordanian Leadership Center, that the countries of the region are considered importing countries either for food directly or for agricultural inputs indirectly. Therefore, due to the current conditions and what the sector of transportation and shipping of these materials is witnessing, this has reflected negatively on food prices in the region.

He added that the region was originally suffering from natural problems like climate changes, which had an impact on food, but the war on the Gaza Strip and before that the Russian-Ukrainian war, as well as the impact of shipping movements in the Red and Black Seas, were unusual and emergency factors that created a kind of instability, whether in food prices or the food industry in general in the Middle East region.

Assaf pointed out that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is currently working on establishing a regional food security observatory that will monitor changes in the region and provide indicators to countries so that they have data on the conditions and on food chains, enabling them to quickly deal with any emergency crisis in the region and the world as well.

He noted that the organization is also working on activating production in the countries of the region by achieving integration and cooperation among these countries, which contributes to the exchange of food commodities through the diversity of agricultural production among them, pointing out that there are no solutions to the successive crises and emergency international developments except achieving this regional integration among the countries of the region to fill any food gap that may occur at any time.

Assaf pointed out that the FAO is working with the Jordanian government and cooperating with it to achieve a kind of data integration between both parties, so that the agencies concerned with food in Jordan are informed in advance about the food situation whether locally or regionally, stressing that partnership, effectiveness, and cooperation are the basis of the relationship between the Jordanian government and the organization.

He revealed that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is also working on achieving a major global initiative called “One Product for a Priority Country,” affirming that this initiative focuses on a food product of priority for each country in the Arab region with great nutritional benefits and achieves a kind of regional self-sufficiency through exchange between countries.

Assaf stressed the necessity that information exchange and expertise among the countries of the region contribute to achieving a kind of food integration, confirming that Egypt participates in this initiative and will contribute to achieving regional and Arab integration with its products.

He indicated that the organization has major measures that will be presented during the ministerial conference of the FAO Regional Near East Organization, which will be held on March 4th and 5th in Amman, explaining that the conference aims to clarify the projects and initiatives of the FAO and other topics that will be submitted to an international meeting for discussion to make appropriate decisions.

The FAO representative in Jordan viewed that coordination and cooperation among the concerned ministers in the countries of the region, including Egypt, achieve the goal of food integration in the region, noting that food security has become a priority in the countries of the region as it is a national security for each country and this is what the organization is working on.

Assaf praised the conferences and forums, including the “Safe Environment and Sustainable Development” forum organized by the Jordanian Leadership Center last week, considering them platforms for exchanging expertise and recommendations through regional and international participation that contribute to achieving the goals of Arab and regional food security through success stories in these countries that can be utilized in future plans to confront climate challenges, which have a direct impact on regional and global food.